AIR SEYCHELLES SIGNS COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH THE VANILLA ISLANDS
(Posted 13th January 2014)
Air Seychelles announced earlier today that they have signed a wide reaching partnership and cooperation agreement with the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands Organization. The deal was signed as a large delegation from the fellow Vanilla Island La Reunion was in the Seychelles to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Commission, on which occasion also the International Creole Institute was launched.
According to information just received from Air Seychelles, will the two partners invest in a range of cooperative programs and products to attract visitors to the Indian Ocean from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Air Seychelles and the Vanilla Island’s marketing messages will be harmonized under the marketing partnership and both organisations will benefit from enhanced presence on each other’s printed and e-marketing materials.
Signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the airline’s new Fixed Base Operation (FBO), Air Seychelles VIP, at Seychelles International Airport were Cramer Ball, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, and Pascal Viroleau, Chief Executive Officer of the Vanilla Islands Organisation. Also present for the signing were Alain St. Ange, Seychelles Minister for Tourism & Culture and President of the Vanilla Island Organisation, Jean-Paul Adam, the Seychelles’ Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Didier Robert, President of the Region of La Reunion and other regional dignitaries and senior staff of Air Seychelles.
Mr. Ball said the Indian Ocean was strategically important to Air Seychelles with traffic to the region contributing significantly to the bottom line through its Mauritius and Johannesburg routes ‘We are delighted to sign this deal with the Vanilla Islands Organisation, which is doing an impressive job creating interest in the Indian Ocean. Our partnership makes good business sense as there is a great natural synergy between our regional ambitions and the Vanilla Island’s aims to increase connectivity to and between the islands. We look forward to working with them and other regional tourism partners to drive new business to the region and Seychelles. We are already working closely with Air Austral to increase traffic on each other’s flights by leveraging network synergies’. In this connection, Air Austral, the La Reunion based French airline, will commence two direct flights a week from end June this year, connecting St. Denis, Reunion’s capital with the Seychelles’ main island of Mahe.
Air Seychelles was only recently elevated by Skytrax to a four star status and is now rated as Africa’s second best airline, an important factor when marketing the destination using flights by Air Seychelles.
(Seen here are from left to right are Air Seychelles’ CEO Cramer Ball, Vanilla Islands Organisation CEO Pascal Viraleau and the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St. Ange)
